Pink laced with Gray
by Luanne
Summary: Tonks was a mother now...so how could she leave her son to go and fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, but then again, how could she not?


Tonks stayed in that empty house as long as she possibly could, clutching Teddy and fighting with herself, believing that Remus would come right back, like he had promised and repeatedly telling herself that there was no need for her to even be there. Not when Teddy needed her here. She was so torn between the two most important men in her life all the time, and she hated herself for making it seem as though one was more important than the other, when in reality there were both so much a part of the other that it was impossible to choose. Teddy was Remus and Remus was Teddy - one would not exist without the other, and she couldn't lose either.

The minutes slipped away as Teddy slept on in Tonks's arms, his hair rapidly changing from green, to red to a dark gray - mirroring how Tonks' herself was fighting bouts of jealousy, that Remus was fighting the battle she had trained for all her career, anger, that she felt jealous, and helplessness that she was here, every passing second. Teddy, however, was unconscious of the danger his father was in, and it was at times like these that Tonks thought of Lily.

She had been in this same situation nearly 19 years earlier and she had chosen her son. She had went to him and left James to the front lines. She had chosen her way. Maybe that was how it is supposed to be, protect the next generation, protect the only thing you can leave behind...but Tonks couldn't shake the worry from her mind. Unlike the world baby Harry had been brought into, Teddy was amply surrounded by people who loved him. That had not been for Harry, so maybe Teddy would be alright, everyone would see to that and Tonks was born to fight - it was her nature to do so...but a mother should not contemplate leaving her child.

And Teddy had truly been everything to her. His existence was the proudest point in her life - it made everything she had gone through, especially these past two years, worth it all. Allowing him into this world had given a purpose to her life. She just wished the world could have been better. She wished she could make it better. She should make it better, shouldn't she?

"Damn it!" Tonks hissed as her mother's enchanted clock, so like the Weasley's, stayed permanently stuck on Mortal Peril for every name, including Teddy and Remus's.

She needed to see the Battle, the death, the destruction, the faces of those she knew and loved; she needed to make it real. She couldn't stay here. Teddy would be fine. He would have to fine. Everyone would have to be fine.

She placed him down in his crib, tucked him in and watched her hair fade to the lightest possible blue before she let him go. She then scribbled a hasty letter to her mother and Apparated to Hogsmeade. She ran past Aberforth and through the tunnel and out into the Room of Requirement...where she nearly ran headlong into Ginny.

"Where's Remus?" she asked, scanning the room.

Ginny looked shocked, "Tonks he's -"

But she didn't wait, running out the room and up the first staircase she saw, not even realizing that Ginny was right on her heels.

She raced up the stairs, fighting on autopilot, not even noticing her attackers. She saw a red headed blur streak out to her left and she assumed it was one of the Weasleys - but didn't stop to look. In her frantic search she only faintly registered a horrible crash and then a tormented yell of "ROCKWOOD!" minutes later.

Rounding a corner she found herself right in the middle of quite the battle. McGonagall, Flitwick, Bill Weasley and, her heart nearly jumped out of her chest, Remus, were battling at least twice their number. Tonks immediately jumped in to help, silently stunning whoever she could reach. McGonagall and Flitwick merely rushed on, and Bill squeezed her arm as he ran past, his scars more visible than ever, but Remus stopped dead.

"I told you -"

Tonks held up her hand, "There's no time for that. Teddy will be fine. We'll be fine. We'll all be fine. Come on." And she pulled him down the next corridor.

What they had walked into Tonks could not figure out. It was a madhouse of students - some of them definitely underage, that she knew - and too many Death Eaters to count. Before she realized what was happening, she was locked in duel, Remus to her left. He threw off his attacker and rushed over to a fallen student. He bent to lift him, as the boy was quite small and thin for his age, which Tonks guessed was about fifteen. Tonks noticed he didn't seem to be breathing, just as she saw someone come out from behind them. Stunning her opponent she ran full speed and shoved Remus and the boy out of the line of danger, and miraculously, the attacker managed to miss her too, as Tonks Stunned him as well.

"Dora - you need to go home. Get out of here." Remus said, frantically.

"No. I told you, it will be fine." she insisted as tears began to well up.

"Dora," Remus smiled sadly, the boy still cradled in his arms, "please, you deserve to live."

"And you don't?"

"Thanks to you - I already did."

Tonks felt the tears spill over, "Damn it, Remus!" she hissed, reaching blindly for him, not even aware of the boy any longer.

He cupped her face with a free hand and lightly kissed her forehead - as the rest of the world came crashing back. The next wave of fighters was running through, blasting spells left and right. Before she could get her bearings, she heard it, the dreaded Avada Kevada, though Tonks never saw any of it, as Remus had suddenly placed himself in front of her, blocking her completely from view.

"I love you, Dora." was the last thing he said before he crumpled to the floor at her feet, green light surrounding him, the boy still safe in his arms.

"No! No - wait! I-" Tonks choked out, looking wildly around.

But then she looked down at Remus, and she knew it was over for them both. She knew in her bones it should end this way. She heard the Killing Curse and as the green light came closer she thought of Teddy, determined to fix his image into her mind for all eternity. As her world went black her last thought was of a tiny bundle with a shock of vibrant pink hair laced with gray, and she believed, for that instant, that everyone was going to be fine.

At that exact moment, far away from the battle, Teddy himself must have sensed it, because as Andromeda held him tightly in her fear, all alone in her now deserted house, his hair faded to that exact shade. He knew, and was mourning for both his parents, as each was a part of him. And once Andromeda began to cry along with him, rocking him ever so slightly, so did she.

Now they only had each other, but, they would be fine, Andromeda, even her grief, could imagine that. Everyone would be fine. They would have to be.


End file.
